Zosui is a nourishing Japanese rice soup cooked in dashi broth with vegetables and tofu. Ready in under 20 minutes, this tonyuu zosui is hearty, satisfying and the perfect comfort meal for the cooler season. (Vegan + Gluten Free)
Say hellooooo to this cold weather essential soup that will warm you right up and keep you feelin’ well & cozy.
Zosui, or Japanese rice soup is something my mom would make for my sisters and I anytime we were sick or feeling unwell. I kid you not, our colds and fevers never lasts for more than a day or two after having copious amounts of this.
What is Zosui (雑炊)?
Zōsui (雑炊) is a rice soup made from pre-cooked rice and a soup base flavoured with dashi and soy sauce. This dish is often made after hot pot (nabe) with the left over soup. Made with easy to digest ingredients, it’s known as a healing or recovery soup which is ideal for when feeling sick or to cure hangovers.
Whats the difference between Zosui and Ojiya?
I think, Ojiya (rice based soup) is more well known outside of Japan. It’s known as the Japanese version of congee or jook where the rice is cooked in broth and almost resembles a thick soup. While both zosui and ojiya both simmer rice in dashi broth, there are subtle differences between the two:
Zosui (雑炊)
- Dashi broth is flavoured only with soy sauce.
- Day old or frozen rice is rinsed first to remove excess starch.
- Cooked for a short period of time to prevent the rice from losing its shape.
Ojiya (おじや)
- Dashi broth is seasoned with soy sauce or miso paste. The flavour is much lighter and always uses water or a clear broth.
- Rice is not rinsed since we want that thick-porridge consistency.
- Cooked for a longer period of time purposely so the rice is softer and the grains of rice isn’t visible.
Ingredients & Variations
Zosui is comprised of four components:
- Dashi broth: You can use leftover hot pot broth, homemade dashi (recipe coming soon), dashi packets or dashi granules. All these options are quick and easy to make. Be sure to sure to use kombu or shiitake dashi to keep it vegan. I used soy milk for a creamier zosui but you can also use water for a lighter broth.
- Cooked rice: I like to use short grain Japanese rice but medium grain can also be used. You can use frozen rice, rice cooked from the night before or fresh rice.
- Vegetables: Shiitake mushrooms and green onions are typically added for flavour. Plus, any vegetables you have on hand.
- Protein: Any protein of your choice! Typically ground meats, fish and egg is used but to keep it vegan use tofu or natto. There are so many varieties of tofu so you can switch it up, too! Soft tofu, aburaage, smoked tofu… etc. Here, I’m using yuba which is dried bean curd and it kind of mimics cooked eggs.
This rice porridge is super customizable and a great way to use left over vegetables at the end of the week!
How to Make Zosui
This Japanese Rice Soup is incredibly easy to make and takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish:
- Dashi broth: Add soy milk (or water), kombu dashi and soy sauce to a pot and stir until simmering.
- Cook: Add the rice, mushrooms, yuba, green onions and spinach. Stir everything until well combined. Turn off the heat, cover and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to let the rice soak up the broth.
- Serve: Transfer to a donabe bowl (clay pot with a lid) and serve with kimchi, green onions, sesame seeds, sesame oil and any other toppings you like.
This Japanese rice soup isn’t just tummy-warming and big on flavour, but it’s also packed with nutrition which is perfect for the colder season. It’s a great healthy meal for when you’re feeling under the weather, recovering from a cold or for when you just want something quick and easy yet still delicious and hearty. I hope you try and love this cozy-wondersoup as much as we do! ♡
More delicious Japanese rice recipes:
If you recreate this Japanese Soy Milk Rice Soup recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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Tonyuu Zosui (Soy Milk Rice Soup)
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
Japanese Soy Milk Rice Soup — a nourishing tummy warming soup made with rice, dashi broth, vegetables and tofu! Easy, healthy and ready in under 20 minutes. (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk (625ml)
- 2 tsp kombu dashi granules (8g)
- 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce (38g // tamari for gluten free)
- 1 cup cooked Japanese short grain rice (200g)
- 2 dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated (44g rehydrated)
- 2 sheets of yuba, rehydrated (30g rehydrated)
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 2 cups spinach (35g)
Instructions
- Over medium heat, add the soy milk, kombu dashi and soy sauce to a small pot and stir to combine. Once the broth starts to boil, reduce the heat to simmer. Add the rice, mushrooms, yuba, green onions and spinach. Stir everything to combine.
- Turn off the heat, cover the pot with the lid and let it rest for 5 minutes to let it thicken. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer).
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: entree
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: vegan, gluten free, japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 312
- Sugar: 2.7g
- Sodium: 1167mg
- Fat: 7.1g
- Saturated Fat: 1.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.9g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 43.7g
- Fiber: 6.6g
- Protein: 21.1g
- Cholesterol: 0
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
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I have tried this recipe at home and it was simply delicious ! I replaced the white rice with a brown one, the soup was creamy and had a lot of umami with the shiitake mushrooms 😍 I will not forget this comforting taste and will do it again for sure !
My new go-to recipe!! It’s so delicious and so easy, ready in 20 minutes and it warms up my heart! Perfect sunday comfort food, but I honestly enjoy it also on a week night haha! Plus: it’s filling and nutritionally very well-balanced, so it really hits all the marks!
I was looking for a new soup recipe and stumbled upon this on Okonomikitchen’s IG. I’m so glad I did because this tastes so FREAKIN’ GOOD! I did substitute soy milk with oat milk, and it’s still drool worthy. I love that it is simple but packs a ton of flavor. It’s easy to add more veggies if one wants to without majorly affecting the flavor. Make this soup everyone!!!
Love this recipe for the winter, it warms me up and only takes around 20 minutes to make! It’s definitely been a go-to easy meal for me recently. I tried the recipe with some extra cheese in it and it just adds to the creaminess!
The texture is very pleasant – sooo creamy and comforting!
I didn’t have access to dashi granules, so I used miso instead and it was really tasty.
This was incredible! Soo warm and comforting in this cold winter weather, yet so simple as well. The addition of yuba skin was so clever too! Made this with five grain rice and it worked as well. Will definitely be making this again!
Loved this recipe! It only took me 20 minutes to make and the warm soup is perfect for the winter time. I tried the recipe with both oat milk and regular milk, and they both taste amazing:)
This tonyu zosui keeps my body warm in winter time! The recipe is very simple but taste just perfect! Remind of me so much of Japan. Thank you Lisa san!
Hi Lisa,
I don’t have kombu dashingranules…but I do have lots of dried kombu “bark”. Can I substitute and how do I do so? Thx!
This was incredibly comforting and tastes a bit like a luxurious porridge! It’s a very forgiving recipe and easy to customize. Only thing to note is to bring it to only a gentle simmer to prevent the soy milk from curdling. I made mine with plenty of fresh mushrooms, aburaage, salmon, and topped with scallions, sesame seeds, and sesame oil. This also works with brown rice, which makes it very nutty and even more filling. Absolutely delightful recipe that I’ll be making on repeat!